3 From Hell
3 From Hell is a 2019 American horror film written and directed by Rob Zombie. It is a follow-up to his 2003 film House of 1000 Corpses and its 2005 sequel The Devil's Rejects. After barely surviving a furious shootout with the police, Baby Firefly (Sheri Moon Zombie), Otis Driftwood (Bill Moseley) and Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) are behind bars. But pure evil cannot be contained. Teaming up with Otis’ half-brother Winslow "Foxy" Coltrane (Richard Brake), the demented Firefly clan are back to unleash a whole new wave of death and depravity. A firestorm of murder, madness and mayhem will be unleashed in this terror ride to hell and back. The film was given a special three-night theatrical engagement through Fathom Events from September 16—18, 2019 and will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 15, 2019. Since it made nearly $2 million, Fathom Events given it a one-night release on October 14, 2019. The film received generally negative reviews from critics, but was praised by audiences. It is the final film starring Sid Haig to be released during his lifetime. Plot The film opens with several news reports covering the events of the prior film. Through the reports, it is revealed that Baby, Otis, and Captain Spaulding miraculously survived their shootout with the police and that they will be tried for their crimes. The trial is widely covered nationwide and becomes a cause célèbre, resulting in the organization of protests that insist the trio's innocence. Numerous fanatics also adopt the chant 'Free the Three', claiming that their crimes were committed as a means to fight against the system. Despite this, all three are found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. In addition to the final verdict, Captain Spaulding is executed via lethal injection, however, Otis is reunited with his half-brother, Winslow Foxworth "Foxy" Coltrane. The two manage to escape from the jail while doing outside prison work and, in the process, kill Rondo, who was arrested after the end of the previous film as well and sent to the very same prison. Meanwhile, Baby unsuccessfully seeks parole, as her mental state has further deteriorated since her incarceration. Once free, Otis and Foxy begin planning to free Baby from prison. To accomplish this, they kidnap the family and friends of the prison's warden, Virgil Dallas Harper. Otis and Foxy demand that Harper help Baby sneak out of prison or they will murder everyone they hold hostage. Harper follows their commands and sneaks Baby out of prison by disguising her as a guard. However, once Baby is freed, Otis and Foxy decide to eliminate the loose ends and kill all the hostages, as well as Harper. Now united, the three are undecided as to what to do next but eventually decide to flee to Mexico, a decision that is made more pressing due to the growing instability of Baby. Otis, Baby, and Foxy manage to successfully cross the border and flee to a small town in Mexico that is celebrating the Day of the Dead and hole up in the town's lone hotel. They briefly worry about being recognized but dismiss these concerns, unaware that the hotel's owner has in fact recognized them and has alerted Rondo's son, Aquarius, to their location. The owner keeps them occupied with both the celebration and local prostitutes, while Aquarius heads out to the location with several henchmen in tow. The following morning, Baby bonds with a local worker, Sebastian, who notices Aquarius's arrival. He warns Baby of the danger before running to warn Otis, just as Aquarius's men break into the whorehouse. Otis and Sebastian hold off the attackers until Foxy arrives and rescues them both. Otis separates from them, managing to successfully find the hotel owner and kill him. During this time, Baby manages to kill several of Aquarius's men using a bow and arrow set she took from Harper's house. Eventually, Foxy and Baby are outmatched by Aquarius and taken prisoner. During this, Sebastian is shot and left for dead. Aquarius and his remaining goons use Baby and Foxy to draw Otis out into the open. Otis appears, and squares off against one of Aquarius's men in a knife fight while Sebastian, still alive despite his wound, sneaks up and silently frees both Foxy and Baby. This enrages Aquarius, distracting his man in the knife fight and allowing Otis to gain the upper hand. He, Baby, and Foxy manage to overpower Aquarius, however Sebastian is shot and killed in the process. The film ends with the trio immolating Aquarius before walking off into the Mexican town. Cast Main article: List of Firefly (film series) characters * Bill Moseley as Otis B. Driftwood * Sheri Moon Zombie as Vera-Ellen "Baby" Firefly * Sid Haig as Captain Spaulding * Richard Brake as Winslow Foxworth "Foxy" Coltrane * Danny Trejo as Rondo * Dee Wallace as Greta * Daniel Roebuck as Morris Green * Jeff Daniel Phillips as Warden Virgil Dallas Harper * Pancho Moler as Sebastian * Jackie S. Garcia as Princesa * Bill Oberst Jr. as Tony Commando * Austin Stoker as Earl Gibson11 * Emilio Rivera as Aquarius12 * Clint Howard as Mr. Baggy Britches Wade Williams, David Ury, Tom Papa, Dot-Marie Jones, Richard Riehle, Sean Whalen, Richard Edson and Kevin Jackson have been cast in undisclosed roles. Production Principal photography began on March 13, 2018 and wrapped on April 10, 2018. The Sybil Brand Institute in Los Angeles, a decommissioned women's prison, served as one filming location. Post-production was postponed five months to allow completion of Zombie's and Marilyn Manson's tour. The editing process began on September 11, 2018 with sound mixing commencing on March 15, 2019, and completed by the end of April. According to Rob Zombie, Sid Haig was originally going to have a larger role, but was unable to commit for the whole film due to health issues. As a result the script was rewritten to introduce Richard Brake's character to take his place.19 Haig passed away shortly after the film was released on September 21, 2019. Release and promotion The first trailer was released in June 2019. Fathom Events held an unrated three-day theatrical release from September 16—18, 2019. The first night featured a special video introduction with Zombie and a commemorative poster. The second featured a behind-the-scenes look at a making-of and all Cinemark locations will be distributing an exclusive bumper sticker designed by Zombie. The third night included a double feature of 3 from Hell and The Devil's Rejects. The film earned $1.92 million which was successful enough that Fathom Events announced plans to return the film to theaters on October 14. It will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 15, 2019. Reception 3 from Hell holds a rating of 43% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on twenty-one reviews. RogerEbert.com film critic Scout Tafoya who awarded the film a full 4 out of 4 stars, calling it Rob Zombie's 'most earnest and laid back nightmare yet'. Shawn Garrett of Rue Morgue, while conceding that there are "no surprises here", enjoyed the film. Cody Hamman JoBlo.com gave the film a favorable score of 7/10.27 Hamman found the film to be an unnecessary sequel but enjoyed the film and hopes "someone will give Zombie the funding he needs to branch out and do something different with his next movies." Kevin Smith called the film "horror heaven". Common criticism was that the film was a repeat of the previous films. Forbes said of the main actors "all three deserve better than re-quel hell."31 Meagan Navarro of Consequence of Sound said "Having been down these exact same roads before, the climax is bereft of any tension and stakes...by the time the end credits roll, you feel it."The A.V. Club's A.A. Dowd found the film unnecessary giving it a D+ and calling it "a slow death by nostalgia." John Squires of Bloody Disgusting continued the criticism that the sequel didn't need to be made giving it one and a half skulls out of five and saying "3 from Hell is proof that sometimes in horror, dead really is better." Comics Beat reviewer Edward Douglas called the film "easily, the worst movie of the year." Category:Films